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| Marlin Weston |
In Memory of An Advocate for the Disabled
posted: 01/12/2007
A leader in disabilities issues, advocate against alcohol abuse at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and semifinalist for the 5th Anniversary Volvo for life Awards, Marlin “Moon” Weston died on January 1, 2007. He was forty years old. As a c-5 quadriplegic, Marlin Weston served on the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council with distinction, helping to add the Americans with Disabilities Act to the tribal constitution. Weston’s contributions improved the lives of the disabled and their families within the Oglala Sioux community. His coalition-building efforts to improve health standards and safeguard the environment continue to resonate within his community and beyond. Marlin was one of six children born to Spencer and Eldean (Iron Cloud) Weston. A gifted student, he graduated in 1979 from Red Cloud High School as a recipient of the "Brother Pat Award," the highest academic award a student could earn upon graduation. Just three years later, he met the love of his life, Evelyn Lone Hill. The two married on January 6, 1984. From this union came their son Marlon "Chance" Weston and then their daughter, Jazzlyn Dream Weston. To support his young family, Weston pursued the career of ranching, enjoying a active, rugged lifestyle. This changed forever in 1984, when a car accident rendered him a c-5 quadriplegic for life. Alcohol was a factor in the incident. From this traumatic event, Weston gained an intimate knowledge of the issues impacting the disabled and of the ravages of substance abuse on Native-American lives. Few, if any, services existed for the disabled on the Reservation. Not many more addressed substance abuse from the Native-American perspective. Weston set out to change this. He completed a degree in Human Services from Oglala Lakota College, which prepared him for his advocacy work. He had nearly completed coursework for an additional degree in the field at the time of his death. Due to Weston’s numerous campaigns, the Reservation secured new wheelchair ramps, increased funding for disabilities’ services, and new opportunities for the disabled. He also co-founded the Quad Squad, a disability advocacy group, in 1989. A strong advocate of the democratic process as a means for positive change, Weston ran for the tribal council in 1994. He won by a landslide. As a council member, Weston steered through a number of landmark initiatives, including the addition of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the tribal constitution. This resonated throughout the nation’s Native-American communities, as President Clinton’s legislation at the time exempted tribes due to their status as sovereign nations. Recognizing Weston’s far-reaching efforts, the National Congress of American Indians called upon him to help advise other tribes in adopting similar legislation.
Weston worked to end substance abuse for the remainder of his life. His own disabilities and the losses of both his sister and nephew in separate alcohol-related car accidents profoundly sensitized him to the issue. In providing much needed counseling to his heavily impacted but underserved community, Weston earned the enduring gratitude of the nation. Indeed, in a well-attended 1993 event in Washington DC, Barbara Bush presented an award to Weston for his public service. At the time of his passing, Weston had dedicated his efforts to combating environmental pollution and its connection to the upswing in cancer, diabetes, and heart disease in Native-American communities. Honoring his ties in and contributions to diverse communities, surviving family, friends, and supporters bade their farewells to Weston – "Tasunke Itanpi” – in both Christian and traditional services. Leaving a legacy of courage, compassion, and commitment, Marlin “Moon” Weston remains an inspiration to family, relatives, and to those whose lives he strived so long and selflessly to improve.
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